Garment form retainer

ABSTRACT

A garment form retainer for overlapping front panels of a coat comprising an elongated flat body of stiff but slightly flexible plastic material. Formed in the body are a plurality of longitudinally spaced button-receiving slots. Formed adjacent the end of the body is a tab fixed to, and offset from, the front surface of the body and converging down toward the plane of the body.

United States Patent Hosey 51 June 20, 1972 [54] GARMENT FORM. RETAINER (72] Inventor: William F. Hosey, Hermitage, Tenn.

|73| Assignec: Old Hickory Mfg. (30., Old Hickory, Tenn.

[22] Filed: Aprll 28, 1971 I21 Appl. No.: 138,233

52 use: ..223/71 511 mu ..A4lb5/00,A4ltl/00 [581 FieldotSearch ..223/71-s1,s3,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,940,646 6/1960 Richa et al ..223/7l 3,282,480 ll/l966 Goush eta] ..223/71 Primary ExaminerJordan Franklin Assistant Examiner-Geo. V. Larkin Attorney-Harrington A. Lackey [57] ABSTRACT A garment form retainer for overlapping front panels of a coat comprising an elongated flat body of stifl but slightly flexible plastic material. Formed in the body are a plurality of longitudinally spaced button-receiving slots. Formed adjacent the end of the body is a tab fixed to, and offset from, the front surface of the body and converging down toward the plane of the body.

7 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures GARMENT FORM RETAINER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a garment form retainer, and more particularly to a retainer for engaging a corresponding button and buttonhole and for holding the front panels of a coat in overlapping relationship.

Garment form retainers are known in the art. Specifically, elongated flat coat retainers having longitudinally spaced button-receiving slots and a tab or flap adjacent one end of the retainer are old.

Most prior art coat retainers are made of paperboard into which are formed the longitudinally spaced button-receiving slots, and from which the tab or flap is cut or struck out so that there is an integral hinged relationship between the tab or fiap and the body of the retainer. In other words, the conventional fiap or tab is normally in the same planewith the body of the coat retainer, and must be swung out about a hinge line in the plane of the retainer before the tab can operatively be inserted through the corresponding buttonhole. Such a construction permits the tab to be too easily removed, or slipped, from engagement with the buttonhole.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention is adapted to overcome the above disadvantages in prior garment from retainers by integrally forming, preferably from plastic material, a tab which is originally formed in an offset relationship with the body of the retainer, and is never in the same plane with the body.

The body is made of an elongated flat, preferably elastic material, such as commercial plastic. Longitudinally spaced button-receiving slots are formed in the body of the retainer.

However, adjacent one end of the body of the retainer is a laterally projecting bridge element integrally formed with the front surface of the body and with the top of the tab. The tab converges downward until its bottom end terminates substantially in the plane of the flat body.

In this manner, when the retainer is fitted over a button of one panel of the coat, and the tab is inserted through the corresponding buttonhole of the exterior overlapping panel of the coat, the entire tab is on the opposite side of the buttonhole from the retainer body. Only the bridge member extends through the buttonhole. The maximum transverse width of the tab is approximately equal to the length of the buttonhole, with the width of the bridge being substantially less. This offset construction, together with the angular convergence of the tab back toward the plane of the body, provides a more secure gripping connection between the tab and the buttonhole, to maintain the retainer in its operative position without the hazard of the retainer becoming inadvertently disconnected from the garment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a coat upon which the garment form retainer is secured in operative position;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged front elevation of the garment form retainer made in accordance with this invention, and illustrating the engaged button and buttonhole in phantom;

FIG. 3 is a left-end elevation of the garment form retainer disclosed in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a top-plan view of the garment form retainer of FIG. 2, showing the overlapping front panels and the coupled button and buttonhole in phantom.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings in more detail, the garment form retainer made in accordance with this invention is adapted to be used to hold in overlapping relationship the exterior front panel I] and the interior front panel 12 of a coat 13. In a conventional mans coat l3, buttons 14 are spaced along the margin of the interior front panel 12, while the corresponding buttonholes 15 are spaced at the same equal intervals along the margin of the exterior front panel 1 1.

The garment form retainer 10 includes an elongated flat body 17 having a front face 18, a rear face 19, and opposite end portions 20 and 21.

Formed along the bottom edge of the body 17 are a plurality of longitudinally spaced button-receiving slots 23, 24 and 25. As disclosed in FIG. 2, the slots 23, 24 and 25 have their upper ends closed and extend substantially parallel to each other but at an angle to the vertical, so that they extend generally toward the end portion 21 and open downward to receive the thread connecting the button 14 to the interior panel 12.

Adjacent the end portion 20 of the body 17 is a laterally projecting bridge member 27. The bridge member 27 projects from the front face 18 of the body 17 adjacent its bottom edge for a short distance approximately equal to the thickness of a buttonhole 15. The outer extremity of the bridge element 27 joins the top end portion of a tab 28 which has a general oval shape converging downward toward a blunt pointed end 29. The maximum transverse width of the tab 28 is approximately equal to the length of the buttonhole 15 through which the tab 28 is inserted. The width of the bridge element 27 is substantially less than the maximum transverse width of the tab 28.

In a preferred form of the invention, the body 17, bridge element 27 and tab 28 are integrally formed by molding from a homogeneous elastic material, such as a commercial plastic. The entire structure of the retainer 10 is substantially rigid, yet slightly flexible or resilient enough to permit temporary elastic deformation.

The retainer 10 is also made of commercial plastic to eliminate flaking or lint deposits upon the suit 13, which normally results from paperboard retainers.

Moreover, the commercial plastic material permits the retainer to be connected to the corresponding buttonhole and button on the suit coat 13 before the coat enters the steam tunnel. Paperboard retainers could not be introduced into the steam tunnel since the moisture would cause them to disintegrate.

Not only is the top portion of the tab. 28 offset from the front surface 18 of the body 17, but also the tab converges downward, as best disclosed in FIG. 3, until its bottom end 29 terminates substantially in the plane of the body 17. The angle of convergence of the tab 28 with the plane of the body 17 is approximately 15.

The offset convergent construction of the tab 28 integral with the body I7 permits a more effective coupling of the tab 28 with the corresponding buttonhole 15. The entire tab 28 is disposed by the bridge element 27 on the opposite side of the buttonhole 15 from the main body 17 of the retainer 10. Moreover, the maximum transverse dimension of the tab 28 is substantially greater than the width of the bridge element 27 to prevent the tab 28 from readily passing through the buttonhole 15 in either direction, without the application of force. Moreover, the angular disposition of the tab 28 converging back toward the plane of the body 17 permits a more secure coupling than in previous tabs which diverge away from the plane of the body. Furthermore, the angular convergence of the tab 28 pushes the front surface of the exterior panel 11 back toward the interior panel 12 to produce a better clamping action, not only between the tab 28 and the exterior panel I 1, but also between the panels 11 and 12 themselves.

The application of retainer 10 to the panels I] and I2 is substantially the same as for previously known retainers. The exterior panel 11 is pulled to slightly overlap the interior panel 12. The body 17 is inserted, with its end portion 21 first or leading, between the overlapping panels 11 and 12 until the button 14 registers with the desired button-receiving slot, such as 23. The slot 23 is then moved between the button 14 and the interior panel 12 so that the button-securing threads are guided into and against the closed end of the slot 23 into the position indicated in FIG. 2. The pointed end 29 of the tab 28 is then inserted through the buttonhole I5 and the tab 28 is thrust until the buttonhole l5 slips over its maximum transverse width and the buttonhole 15 comes to rest around the bridging element 27. The retainer 10 is then completely coupled in its operative position with the panels 11 and I2 securely and firmly retained and clipped in their overlapping position, as best disclosed in FIGS. 1 and 4.

As indicated in FIG. 2, the natural tendency of the exterior panel 1 l to pull away from the interior panel 12 will force the buttonhole 15 to move in the same direction until the edge of the bridging element 27 adjacent the end portion 20 abuts against the corresponding edge of the buttonhole 15. Thus, the depending protruding portion of the tab 28 provides a keeper to prevent the tab 28 from being readily pulled upward or rearward through the buttonhole 15.

In order to remove the tab 28 from the buttonhole 15, the corresponding panel 11 must be moved in two directions; it must be moved outward until the buttonhole 15 is moved to the intersection of the forward edge of the bridging element 27 with the top end of the tap 28, and then moved downward until the bottom portion 29 is completely cleared of the buttonhole 15. In previous retainers, the tab could be removed from the buttonhole by merely moving the panel or the tab in one direction, that is, in the plane of the tab.

What is claimed is:

l. A garment form retainer for a coat having overlapping interior and exterior panels with at least one button on the interior panel and at least one corresponding buttonhole on the exterior panel, comprising:

a. an elongated flat body having a front surface and a rear surface, and opposite end portions,

b. at least one button-receiving element formed on said body,

c. a tab adapted to be received through one of said buttonholes and having a top portion and a bottom portion,

d. means mounting said top portion on and oflset forward of, the front surface of said body adjacent one end portion, so that said tab converges downward toward the plane of said body,

e. said tab being spaced from said button-receiving element so that when said body is placed between the panels of said coat, said button-receiving element receives said button,-and said tab is inserted through said corresponding buttonhole, said panels are held in overlapping relationship with the exterior panel in front of said interior panel.

2. The invention according to claim 1 in which said body, tab and mounting means are formed from a homogeneous elastic material.

3. The invention according to claim 1 in which the bottom portion of said tab terminates substantially in the plane of said body.

4. The invention according to claim 3 in which said tab is planar, and converges at approximately a 15 angle with the plane of said body.

5. The invention according to claim 3 in which said tab is made from an elastic material, and is normally biased to converge toward the plane of said body in order to firmly grip the exterior surface of the exterior panel in operative position.

6. The invention according to claim 1 in which the greatest transverse width of said tab is approximately equal to the length of said buttonhole, said mounting means comprises a bridge member connecting the top of said tab to said body, the

' width of said bridge member being substantially less than the 

1. A garment form retainer for a coat having overlapping interior and exterior panels with at least one button on the interior panel and at least one corresponding buttonhole on the exterior panel, comprising: a. an elongated flat body having a front surface and a rear surface, and opposite end portions, b. at least one button-receiving element formed on said body, c. a tab adapted to be received through one of said buttonholes and having a top portion and a bottom portion, d. means mounting said top portion on and offset forward of, the front surface of said body adjacent one end portion, so that said tab converges downward toward the plane of said body, e. said tab being spaced from said button-receiving element so that when said body is placed between the panels of said coat, said button-receiving element receives said button, and said tab is inserted through said corresponding buttonhole, said panels are held in overlapping relationship with the exterior panel in front of said interior panel.
 2. The invention according to claim 1 in which said body, tab and mounting means are formed from a homogeneous elastic material.
 3. The invention according to claim 1 in which the bottom portion of said tab terminates substantially in the plane of said body.
 4. The invention according to claim 3 in which said tab is planar, and converges at approximately a 15* angle with the plane of said body.
 5. The invention according to claim 3 in which said tab is made from an elastic material, and is normally biased to converge toward the plane of said body in order to firmly grip the exterior surface of the exterior panel in operative position.
 6. The invention according to claim 1 in which the greatest transverse width of said tab is approximately equal to the length of said buttonhole, said mounting means comprises a bridge member connecting the top of said tab to said Body, the width of said bridge member being substantially less than the greatest transverse width of said tab.
 7. The invention according to claim 1 in which the top of said tab is offset from the front surface of said body a distance approximately equal to the thickness of the buttonhole through which said tab is to be inserted. 